The quick version
Choose a moderator. They announce a category and secretly give every artist the same word except one, whose card says X. Artists add one continuous stroke each, twice around. Vote for the fake. If the fake is not the sole most-voted artist, the fake and moderator win. If caught, the fake gets one subject guess: correct still wins; incorrect gives the real artists the win.
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One word, one missing answer
The 5–10 total includes one moderator, who does not draw or vote. Give each remaining person a different colored pen. The moderator privately writes one recognizable subject on all but one of the secret cards and writes X on the last. Mix them and deal one to each artist.
Announce a category broad enough to leave several possibilities, such as kitchen object for a colander. The fake hears the category too. Artists secretly check their cards. Lay one blank sheet within everyone’s reach; use the same sheet throughout the round. Nobody states the subject aloud or shows their card.
Make two circuits of strokes
The moderator chooses a first artist. Going clockwise, each artist makes one continuous pen stroke on the shared page and then lifts their pen. A dot or a long unbroken shape is allowed; lifting the pen ends the turn. Do not erase or cover earlier marks. Go around a second time in the same order, so every artist has added two strokes.
A real artist could draw a suggestive handle or edge rather than the entire object. The fake uses the category and existing marks to add something plausible. The moderator watches silently and cannot coach either side. Letters and written answers are excluded in this house presentation.
After the second circuit, allow a short discussion, then every artist simultaneously points to one other artist. Count votes. This guide resolves any tied highest vote in the fake’s favor. If the fake alone has the most votes, reveal their X and ask for one precise subject guess before revealing the other cards. A correct guess wins for the fake and moderator; a wrong one wins for all real artists. If somebody else leads the vote, the fake and moderator win immediately.
Reveal the picture’s secret
Reveal all cards and let people explain their strokes. One drawing completes one game, with no points carried forward. Offer the moderator role to the next willing person if the group wants another. If a secret is exposed before the vote, discard that round and restart with a fresh subject and shuffled cards. Nobody loses because their drawing is untidy.
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Ideas & Twists
Choose a variation together before you start.
A Fake Artist Goes to New York · See main rules
House suggestionOne stroke each
Draw only one clockwise circuit, then discuss and vote. Each artist has one stroke rather than two. The fake’s rescue guess and all win conditions remain; choose this for a sharper, less revealing picture.
A Fake Artist Goes to New York · See main rules
House suggestionThird circuit
Give every artist a third stroke in the same order before the vote. Everyone gets the same number of turns. The added information helps deduction but may also make the subject easier for the fake to guess.
A Fake Artist Goes to New York · See main rules
House suggestionSilent drawing
Artists may not discuss the picture during the two drawing circuits. Save every explanation until the normal pre-vote discussion. The moderator may still clarify turn rules without revealing the word.
A Fake Artist Goes to New York · See main rules
House suggestionEveryday object session
The moderator chooses only recognizable household objects for three separate games. Use a fresh broad category for each and rotate the moderator. Each game keeps its own winner; do not pool points or repeat the same subject.
About this guide
The published game supplies the moderator/fake partnership, category, two strokes per artist, vote and final subject guess. The explicit tied-vote convention, no-writing presentation, single-round endpoint and five adaptations are house choices.
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